Torbjörn Hero Guide

Torbjörn is the wise-cracking Gimli dwarf to Overwatch’s fellowship, providing comic relief while his enemies die in a hail of turret and rocket fire. His abilities merit a fun and rewarding play style that can force an opposing team to change their lineup in order to counter him.

In Overwatch lore, Torbjörn Lindholm is a brilliant Swedish engineer with a penchant for zany one-liners and a deep mistrust of omnics. Following the Omnic Crisis, Torbjörn served as quartermaster for Overwatch, inventing new weapons and advanced gear, like Ana’s Biotic Rifle.

Torbjörn’s oft misunderstood play style leads many players to question whether he’s suitable on Attack as well as Defense, or if he’s only viable on Assault/Escort maps but not Control.

Weaknesses

Less mobility than most characters makes it difficult to escape fights

Vulnerable while building or upgrading a turret

Turret has limited range and can be destroyed from a distance

Ultimate relies on having an upgraded turret in play to be truly effective

Abilities

Base Stats

Health: 200

Armor: No armor

Main Attack: Rivet Gun

Description: Torbjörn can shoot a long-distance arcing projectile or a short-distance shotgun blast

Normal Fire

Damage: 70

Ammo: 18

Alternate Fire

Damage: 60-150

Ammo: 18 (3 per shot)

Torbjörn’s turret gets a lot of attention, but his Rivet Gun packs a punch. His projectiles fire rapidly in a far reaching arc, dealing 70 points of damage with no fall off penalties. The arc-like nature of each projectile tends to nail head shots more often than not, for a whopping 140 damage.

Rivet Gun takes a little practice getting used to, but once you start compensating for the arc you’ll be able to nail head and body shots from a variety of angles and distances. Even spamming fire over cover is possible, making Torbjörn deceptively dangerous.

His alternate fire is used for close range encounters and team fights and gives him an edge while contesting points or defending turrets. It’s particularly useful for chasing down enemies that have already been considerably weakened by his turret.

Automatic Reloading

Torbjörn’s gun will begin to reload whenever Forge Hammer is equipped. Forge Hammer needs to be active for 2 seconds in order for the reload to take effect. If you’re really in a pickle and need to keep dishing out damage, switch to Forge Hammer and melee enemies while Rivet Gun reloads.

Secondary Weapon: Forge Hammer

Description: A powerful hammer for upgrading and repairing turrets

Damage: 55 (melee damage)

Turret Repair: +50 HP per swing

Ammo: None

Forge Hammer is Torbjörn’s secondary weapon, and is primarily used to repair and upgrade his turrets. While it can be used to bash in heads, it’s not ideal to go on a Forge Hammer rampage when Torb’s Rivet Gun is much more effective.

Tips for repairing turrets

Torb is slightly exposed while fixing or upgrading his turrets. Strafe while swinging Forge Hammer to avoid fire and prevent snipers from targeting you

Forge Hammer must connect with the turret in order for it to repair or upgrade.

You can check the health of your turret on the bottom left of the screen. You can also see how far along a Lvl. 1 turret is to upgrading to Lvl. 2.

Repair turrets only if it’s safe to do so. Otherwise you might be better off constructing a new turret in a different location.

Ability 1: Build Turret

Description: Torbjörn deploys a stationary auto-aiming turret that can be upgraded with his Forge Hammer

Damage: 14 (per shot)

Ammo: Infinite

Turret Level

Turret HP

Turret DPS

Turret Loadout

Rate Of Fire

1

150

28

1 gun

2 rps

2

300

57

2 guns

4 rps

3

800

181

2 guns + rocket launcher

5 rps

Torbjörn’s play style is built primarily around his mini turret.

Turret levels

Lvl. 1: Automatic when building a new turret.

Lvl. 2: Requires 5 swings from Forge Hammer in order to upgrade. Turret has to be at full health in order for it to upgrade.

Lvl. 3: Torb’s Lvl. 2 turret will automatically transform into a Lvl. 3 turret when Molten Core is activated. It also gains a whopping 800 HP. When Molten Core ends the turret reverts back to Lvl. 2 and heals itself by +150 HP.

Tips for building turrets

Only one turret can be built at a time. If you build a new turret while one is active, it will revert back to Lvl. 1 no matter which level it was at.

Face the direction you want a turret to fire before setting one down. Although Torbjörn’s turret will shoot any visible enemies within range, it takes slightly longer for it to begin shooting opponents from behind.

Turrets only make body shots.

Turrets don’t have fall-off distance damage but they do have a maximum range of 50 meters.

Turrets will attack and destroy Junkrat’s Steel Trap, Concussive Mine and Rip-Tire, as well as Widowmaker’s Venom Mine.

In general, always try to upgrade a Lvl. 1 turret to Lvl. 2.

Turret tactics

While defending, use the opening seconds before the match begins to build and upgrade a turret.

Position turrets along the sides of an arena to deter flankers and draw attention away from your other defenses.

Position turrets directly in front of your enemy to slow down an advance, bait and distract enemies and chip away at shields.

Put a turret next to a doorway to take enemies by surprise.

You can build a turret directly on a payload for mobile firepower, although it’ll be pretty vulnerable without a shield to defend it.

Turrets will automatically fire at anyone within range. Communicate with your team if you suspect someone is trying to sneak onto the objective while you’re holding a chokepoint.

Ability 2: Armor Pack

Description: Torbjörn turns scrap into bonus armor for himself and his allies

Cost: 50 scrap

Armor: +75

Cooldown: None

Armor Pack works in conjunction with Torbjörn’s passive ability, Scrap Collector. Torbjörn spends 50 scrap from his collection to build a consumable armor pack that can be picked up by any ally.

Get in the habit of laying down Armor Packs whenever you have scrap available. If you’re team is respawning, dump a bunch of Armor Packs right outside the door or near the entrance to an objective so they can easily be picked up. If you find yourself in a big brawl, lob Armor Packs into the midst of a fight (or directly at allies) so they can instantly gain the extra protection.

How Armor Packs function

Armor packs provide 75 points of armor per pack.

Armor packs do not stack; they only replenish a maximum 75 points of armor.

Armor packs do not disappear, so it’s better to always drop one when you can.

The enemy can’t see your Armor Packs, and you can’t see theirs.

Armor from Armor Packs can’t be healed (unlike heroes with base armor, such as D.va and Reinhardt).

Characters with base armor can still pick up and use Armor Packs.

Armor Packs will disappear if Torbjörn switches to a new hero. Be careful as this includes the armor already picked up by allies.

A message will appear on Torbjörn’s HUD whenever an ally picks up an Armor Pack.

Heroes to prioritize

Armor Packs are more useful for your squishy offensive squad mates, since they’ll be encountering the brunt of enemy fire. Focus on dropping Armor Packs for the following characters when a fight breaks out:

Tracer

Genji

Soldier: 76

Reaper

McCree

Zarya

Support heroes: Mercy, Lucio, Ana, Zenyatta

Passive Ability: Scrap Collector

Description: Torbjörn collects Armor Pack scrap from fallen enemies

Scrap: +25 per piece

When enemies die they leave behind scrap that only Torbjörn sees. Torbjörn can only hold 200 scrap at anytime, so make sure you’re dropping Armor Packs whenever they’re available.

Torbjörn automatically gains +50 scrap every 25 seconds, which you can observe by looking at the scrap meter on the right side of his HUD.

Note that an icon hovers over any available scrap on the battlefield. Gauge whether it’s worth the risk to collect a pile of scrap or leave it behind.

Torbjörn also goes full Super Saiyan, gaining +300 armor (in addition to any Armor Pack armor he has). His fire rate increases by +50%, enabling Torbjörn to spam rivets or shotgun blasts quickly. And if Molten Core is activated while Torb only has a Lvl. 1 turret in play, he can quickly hammer it to Lvl. 2 thanks to a 100% boost to his repair speed.

Tips for Molten Core

Try to only activate Molten Core if you have a Lvl. 2 turret on the battlefield, otherwise you lose a significant amount of potential firepower.

Molten Core grants a huge bonus to Torbjörn’s armor, firepower and repair speed. Don’t be afraid to jump into the mix while you’re super charged to help pick off tanks and supports.

Try to avoid upgrading or repairing turrets during Molten Core. Even with the speed boost to his repair rate, the perks of Molten Core should be applied to dealing (and receiving) damage.

Use Molten Core to prevent or disrupt an enemy push. They’ll be hard pressed to continue their assault if it means walking into a rocket spewing hellscape.

Use Molten Core if your turret is losing health but a large scale attack seems imminent.

General Tips & Strategy

Torbjörn isn’t very popular on Attack team compositions—mainly because he relies on setting up a defensive turret rather than pushing enemies back with increasing pressure.

The enemy is looking to take out your Lvl. 1 or 2 turret quickly. If it’s destroyed then you’re forced to either disengage and prepare a new turret, or run in attacking without the benefit of your turret’s extra firepower.

Utilize your team’s shields. Torbjörn gels particularly well with Orisa. She can protect your turret from any incoming fire by adjusting her shield around it.

Keep moving. A common mistake made by Torbjörn players is to nurse their turret, but it’s better to join your team or reposition yourself if you already have a turret active. If the old one is destroyed, you’ll be away from danger and ready to build a new one.

If a Tracer or Genji is buzzing around you, drop a turret but don’t try to upgrade it. Chances are they’ll forget about you for a second to deal with the turret. Use this opening to fight back.

Don’t be too predictable. If your turret keeps getting destroyed in the same spot, switch up the positioning.

Turrets are a good distraction tool. If you bait an enemy (especially Reinhardt) to charge your turret, immediately build a new one in a new location. The old turret will disappear, leaving the enemy exposed to a counterattack.

If you know you can survive a fight and build a Lvl. 2 turret, set one up as soon as possible. Being able to spring Molten Core at the last second might save the match.

Layer up your defense. Playing Torbjörn alongside a Symmetra means your team can benefit from a Shield Generator and Torb’s Armor Packs. The enemy team will have to destroy the generator as well as Torbjörn’s turret in order to penetrate your defense.

Turrets continue to operate even if Torbjörn dies. This means you can die, respawn and immediately activate Molten Core if your Lvl. 2 turret is still functioning and your team needs help.

Remember to keep dropping Armor Packs! The extra armor keeps your team in the fight longer.

In extended fire fights or 1-on-1 encounters, remember to give yourself Armor Packs to stay alive. If you have 200 scrap on hand, then you essentially have 300 points of armor available for any scenario.

If you’re being chased into a corridor or narrow passage, quickly build a turret to serve as a distraction. It might buy you enough time to reach your team so you can construct a new turret in a safer location.

Specific Map Tips

Torbjörn is a niche character; in his current form he’s much better at defending Assault/Escort maps than he is at attacking them. He’s generally considered a poor choice for Control maps because his stationary turret is easier to avoid and/or destroy.

This doesn’t mean Torbjörn can’t be used to great affect in either mode, just that he’s ill-suited for many Attack and Control strategies.

That being said, he’s a great choice for defending Assault/Escort maps!

Eichenwalde

Defenders should position their turret behind the first chokepoint, near the damaged omnic remains. If the enemy advances through the choke, reposition Torbjörn’s turret to the wooden deck that overlooks the payload. A less obvious spot would be inside the base of the tower, though it’ll be easier for the enemy to avoid.

Numbani

Numbani is a notoriously good map for Torbjörn to defend. He has the high ground advantage around most of the objective, and he can quickly take cover if the battle heats up. Defenders should put their turret inside the little nook to the left of the main street (so that the turret is facing the payload). In the meantime, return to the high ground and alternate your turrets between the left and right side of the arena, depending on where enemies are attacking from.

Hollywood

Hollywood has a lot of creative spots for Torbjörn to place his turrets. Defenders on Point A should almost always build their turret on the moving platform right by the payload. It’ll fire at enemies coming through the studio archway as well as flankers sneaking behind the payload. The moving platform makes it hard to hit, and the bottom ¼ is slightly covered in case you need to make some quick repairs.

Match-ups

Unfortunately, Torbjörn has some pretty hard counters. On the flipside, his turret can be a huge annoyance even for the best coordinated team.

Torbjörn Counters

Pharah: There’s two sides to this match up. Torbjörn’s turret can whittle away Pharah’s health while she’s trying to dominate the airspace around your team, but Pharah can also keep a safe distance and destroy you (and your turret) with a couple well placed rockets. Keep surprising Pharah with different turret locations.

McCree: McCree is a slow sharpshooter that can be disarmed by Torb’s turret from a distance. The fall-off distance damage from his gun makes it tricky for him to destroy a Lvl. 2 turret from a safe distance, and he’ll probably die from a turret before getting a shot off from Dead Eye.

Genji: Genji’s high mobility makes him tricky to track and target, but that’s not a problem for Torbjörn’s turret. Although Genji can deflect some of the turret’s shots, he’ll likely suffer damage in the end, especially if you Molten Core during his Dragonblade.

Torbjörn is countered by

Tracer: Tracer can eliminate a Lvl. 1 turret with one clip, and she can use Blink, Pulse Bomb and Recall to dive into your defense, destroy your turret, and completely heal herself. She’s a menace.

D.Va: D.Va can use her Defense Matrix to absorb all the fire from Torbjörn’s turret while someone else on her team (like Soldier) picks it off. Even a cleverly situated Lvl. 3 turret will likely be destroyed by her Self-Destruct ability.

Hanzo: Hanzo (and Widowmaker, and to some extent Ana) can rain on Torbjörn’s parade. Because he’s a sniper, Hanzo can disable Torbjörn’s turret from a safe distance. It’s also easy for Hanzo to kill Torbjörn if he catches Torb trying to repair his turret.

Skins

Rare Skins

Torbjörn’s rare skins are all colored variations of his Classic skin—a futuristic blacksmith outfit with a built-in forge.